APPENDIX I

GLOSSARY

AMMETER—An instrument for measuring the amount of electron flow in

amperes.

AMPERE—The basic unit of electrical current.

ANODE—A positive electrode of an electrochemical device (such as a

primary or secondary electric

cell) toward which the negative ions are drawn.

ATTRACTION—The force that tends to make two objects approach each

other. Attraction exists

between two unlike magnetic poles (North and South) or between two
unlike static charges (plus and

minus).

BATTERY—A device for converting chemical energy into electrical energy.

BATTERY CAPACITY—The amount of energy available from a battery.

Battery capacity is expressed

in ampere-hours.

BLEEDER CURRENT—The current through a bleeder resistor. In a voltage

divider, bleeder current is

usually determined by the 10 percent rule of thumb.

BLEEDER RESISTOR—A resistor which is used to draw a fixed current.

BRANCH—An individual current path in a parallel circuit.

CATHODE—The general name for any negative electrode.

CELL—A single unit that transforms chemical energy into electrical energy.
Batteries are made up of

cells.

CHARGE—Represents electrical energy. A material having an excess of

electrons is said to have a

negative charge. A material having a deficiency of electrons is said to

have a positive charge.

CIRCUIT—The complete path of an electric current.

CIRCULAR MIL—An area equal to that of a circle with a diameter of 0.001

inch. It is used for
measuring the cross-sectional area of wires.

COMBINATION CIRCUIT—A series-parallel circuit.

CONDUCTANCE—The ability of a material to conduct or carry an electric

current. It is the reciprocal

of the resistance of the material, and is expressed in mhos or siemans.

CONDUCTIVITY—Ease with which a substance transmits electricity.

CONDUCTOR—(1) A material with a large number of free electrons. (2) A

material which easily

permits electric current to flow.

COULOMB—A measure of the quantity of electricity. One coulomb is equal

to 6.28 ´ 1018 electrons.

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COULOMB’S LAW—Also called the law of electric charges or the law of

electrostatic attraction.

Coulomb's Law states that charged bodies attract or repel each other with
a force that is directly

proportional to the product of their individual charges and inversely

proportional to the square of the

distance between them.

CPR—Cardio-Pulminary Resuscitation.

CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA—The area of a "slice" of an object. When applied

to electrical

conductors, it is usually expressed in circular mils.

CURRENT—The flow of electrons past a reference point. The passage of

electrons through a conductor.

Measured in amperes.

DEAD SHORT—A short circuit having minimum resistance.

DIELECTRIC FIELD—The space between and around charged bodies in

which their influence is felt.

Also called Electric Field of Force or an Electrostatic Field.

DIRECT CURRENT—An electric current that flows in one direction only.

DOMAIN THEORY—A theory of magnetism based upon the electron-spin

principle. Spinning
electrons have a magnetic field. If more electrons spin in one direction
than another, the atom is

magnetized.

DRY CELL—An electrical cell in which the electrolyte is not a liquid. In most
dry cells the electrolyte is

in the form of a paste.

EFFICIENCY—The ratio of output power to input power, generally

expressed as a percentage.

ELECTRIC CURRENT—The flow of electrons.

ELECTRICAL CHARGE—Symbol Q, q. Electric energy stored on or in an

object. The negative charge

is caused by an excess of electrons; the positive charge is caused by a

deficiency of electrons.

ELECTROCHEMICAL—The action of converting chemical energy into

electrical energy.

ELECTRODE—The terminal at which electricity passes from one medium

into another, such as in an

electrical cell where the current leaves or returns to the electrolyte.

ELECTROLYTE—A solution of a substance which is capable of conducting

electricity. An electrolyte

may be in the form of either a liquid or a paste.

ELECTROMAGNET—An electrically excited magnet capable of exerting

mechanical force, or of

performing mechanical work.

ELECTROMAGNETIC—The term describing the relationship between

electricity and magnetism.

Having both magnetic and electric properties.

ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION—The production of a voltage in a coil due

to a change in the

number of magnetic lines of force (flux linkages) passing through the coil.

ELECTRON—The elementary negative charge that revolves around the

nucleus of an atom.

ELECTRON SHELL—A group of electrons which have a common energy level

that forms part of the
outer structure (shell) of an atom.

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ELECTROSTATIC—Pertaining to electricity at rest, such as charges on an

object (static electricity).

ELEMENT—A substance, in chemistry, that cannot be divided into simpler

substances by any means

ordinarily available.

EMF—(Electromotive Force) The force which causes electricity to flow

between two points with

different electrical charges or when there is a difference of potential

between the two points. The unit

of measurement in volts.

ENERGY—The ability or capacity to do work.

EQUIVALENT RESISTANCE—(Req) A resistance that represents the total

ohmic values of a circuit

component or group of circuit components. Usually drawn as a single

resistor when simplifying

complex circuits.

FERROMAGNETIC MATERIAL—A highly magnetic material, such as iron,

cobalt, nickel, or alloys,

make up these materials.

FIELD OF FORCE—A term used to describe the total force exerted by an

action-at-a-distance

phenomenon such as gravity upon matter, electric charges acting upon

electric charges, magnetic

forces acting upon other magnets or magnetic materials.

FIXED RESISTOR—A resistor having a definite resistance value that cannot

be adjusted.

FLUX—In electrical or electromagnetic devices, a general term used to

designate collectively all the

electric or magnetic lines of force in a region.

FLUX DENSITY—The number of magnetic lines of force passing through a

given area.
GAS—One of the three states of matter having no fixed form or volume.
(Steam is a gas.)

GRAPH—A pictorial presentation of the relation between two or more

variable quantities, such as

between an applied voltage and the current it produces in a circuit.

GROUND POTENTIAL—Zero potential with respect to the ground or earth.

HORSEPOWER—The English unit of power, equal to work done at the rate

of 550 foot-pounds per

second. Equal to 746 watts of electrical power.

HORSESHOE MAGNET—A permanent magnet or electromagnet bent into

the shape of a horseshoe or

having a U-shape to bring the two poles near each other.

HYDROMETER—An instrument used to measure specific gravity. In

batteries hydrometers are used to

indicate the state of charge by the specific gravity of the electrolyte.

INDUCED CHARGE—An electrostatic charge produced on an object by the

electric field that

surrounds a nearby object.

INDUCED CURRENT—Current due to the relative motion between a

conductor and a magnetic field.

INDUCED ELECTROMOTIVE FORCE—The electromotive force induced in a

conductor due to the

relative motion between a conductor and a magnetic field.

INDUCED VOLTAGE—See Induced Electromotive Force.

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INDUCTION—The act or process of producing voltage by the relative

motion of a magnetic field across

a conductor.

INFINITE—(1) Extending indefinitely, endless. (2) Boundless having no

limits. (3) An incalculable

number.

INSULATION—(1) A material used to prevent the leakage of electricity from

a conductor and to
provide mechanical spacing or support to protect against accidental
contact. (2) Use of material in

which current flow is negligible to surround or separate a conductor to

prevent loss of current.

INSULATOR—(1) Material of such low conductivity that the flow of current

through it can usually be

neglected. (2) Device having high-electric resistance, used for supporting

or separating conductors so

as to prevent undesired flow of current from the conductors to other

objects.

INVERSELY—Inverted or reversed in position or relationship.

ION—An electrically charged atom or group of atoms. Negative ions have

an excess of electrons;

positive ions have a deficiency of electrons.

IONIZE—To make an atom or molecule of an element lose an electron, as

by X-ray bombardment, and

thus be converted into a positive ion. The freed electron may attach itself
to a neutral atom or

molecule to form a negative ion.

JUNCTION—(1) The connection between two or more conductors. (2) The

contact between two

dissimilar metals or materials, as is in a thermocouple.

KILO—A prefix meaning one thousand.

KINETIC ENERGY—Energy which a body possesses by virtue of its motion.

KIRCHHOFF’S LAWS—(1) The algebraic sum of the currents flowing toward

any point and the

current flowing from that point in an electric network is zero. (2) The
algebraic sum of the products

of the current and resistance in each of the conductors in any closed path
in a network is equal to the

algebraic sum of the electromotive forces in the path.

LAW OF MAGNETISM—Like poles repel; unlike poles attract.

LEAD-ACID CELL—A cell in an ordinary storage battery, in which electrodes

are grids of lead
containing an active material consisting of certain lead oxides that change
in composition during

charging and discharging. The electrodes or plates are immersed in an

electrolyte of diluted sulfuric

acid.

LINE OF FORCE—A line in an electric or magnetic field that shows the

direction of the force.

LIQUID—One of the three states of matter which has a definite volume but
no definite form. (Water is a

liquid.)

LOAD—(1) A device through which an electric current flows and which

changes electrical energy into

another form. (2) Power consumed by a device or circuit in performing its

function.

LOCAL ACTION—A continuation of current flow within an electrical cell

when there is no external

load. Caused by impurities in the electrode.

MAGNETIC FIELD—The space in which a magnetic force exists.

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MAGNETIC POLES—The section of a magnet where the flux lines are

concentrated; also where they

enter and leave the magnet.

MAGNETISM—The property possessed by certain materials by which these

materials can exert

mechanical force on neighboring masses of magnetic materials; and can

cause currents to be induced

in conducting bodies moving relative to the magnetized bodies.

MATTER—Any physical entity which possesses mass.

MEGA—A prefix meaning one million, also Meg.

MHO—Unit of conductance: the reciprocal of the ohm. Replaced by

siemens.

MICRO—A prefix meaning one-millionth.

MILLI—A prefix meaning one-thousandth.

NEGATIVE ELECTRODE—A terminal or electrode having more electrons than
normal. Electrons

flow out of the negative terminal of a voltage source.

NEGATIVE TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT—The temperature coefficient

expressing the amount

of reduction in the value of a quantity, such as resistance for each degree

of increase in temperature.

NETWORK—A combination of electrical components. In a parallel circuit it

is composed of two or

more branches.

NEUTRAL—In a normal condition, hence neither positive nor negative. A

neutral object has a normal

number of electrons.

OHM—The unit of electrical resistance. It is that value of electrical

resistance through which a constant

potential difference of 1 volt across the resistance will maintain a current

flow of 1 ampere through

the resistance.

OHMIC VALUE—Resistance in ohms.

OHM’S LAW—The current in an electric circuit is directly proportional to

the electromotive force in the

circuit. The most common form of the law is E = IR, where E is the
electromotive force or voltage

across the circuit, I is the current flowing in the circuit, and R is the
resistance of the circuit.

OPEN CIRCUIT—(1) The condition of an electrical circuit caused by the

breaking of continuity of one

or more conductors of the circuit; usually an undesired condition. (2) A

circuit which does not

provide a complete path for the flow of current.

PARALLEL CIRCUIT—Two or more electrical devices connected to the same

pair of terminals so

separate currents flow through each; electrons have more than one path
to travel from the negative to

the positive terminal.

PERMEABILITY—The measure of the ability of a material to act as a path
for magnetic lines of force.

PHOTOELECTRIC VOLTAGE—A voltage produced by light.

PICO—A prefix adopted by the National Bureau of Standards meaning 10 –

12.

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PIEZOELECTRIC EFFECT—The effect of producing a voltage by placing a

stress, either by

compression, expansion, or twisting, on a crystal and, conversely,

producing a stress in a crystal by

applying a voltage to it.

PLATE—One of the electrodes in a storage battery.

POLARITY—(1) The condition in an electrical circuit by which the direction

of the flow of current can

be determined. Usually applied to batteries and other direct voltage

sources. (2) Two opposite

charges, one positive and one negative. (3) A quality of having two
opposite magnetic poles, one

north and the other south.

POLARIZATION—The effect of hydrogen surrounding the anode of a cell

which increases the internal

resistance of the cell.

POTENTIAL ENERGY—Energy due to the position of one body with respect

to another body or to the

relative parts of the same body.

POTENTIOMETER—A 3-terminal resistor with one or more sliding contacts,

which functions as an

adjustable voltage divider.

POWER—The rate of doing work or the rate of expending energy. The unit
of electrical power is the

watt.

PRIMARY CELL—An electrochemical cell in which the chemical action eats

away one of the

electrodes, usually the negative electrode.

RECIPROCAL—The value obtained by dividing the number 1 by any
quantity.

REFERENCE POINT—A point in a circuit to which all other points in the

circuit are compared.

RELUCTANCE—A measure of the opposition that a material offers to

magnetic lines of force.

REPULSION—The mechanical force tending to separate bodies having like

electrical charges or like

magnetic polarity.

RESIDUAL MAGNETISM—Magnetism remaining in a substance after

removal of the magnetizing

force.

RESISTANCE—(1) The property of a conductor which determines the

amount of current that will flow

as the result of the application of a given electromotive force. All

conductors possess some

resistance, but when a device is made especially for the purpose of

limiting current flow, it is called a

resistor. A resistance of 1 ohm will allow a current of 1 ampere to flow

through it when a potential of

1 volt is applied. (2) The opposition which a device or material offers to

the flow of current. The

effect of resistance is to raise the temperature of the material or device

carrying the current. (3) A

circuit element designed to offer a predetermined resistance to current

flow.

RESISTOR—The electrical component which offers resistance to the flow of

current. It may be a coil of

fine wire or a composition rod.

RETENTIVITY—The ability of a material to retain its magnetism.

RHEOSTAT—(1) A resistor whose value can be varied. (2) A variable

resistor which is used for the

purpose of adjusting the current in a circuit.

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SCHEMATIC CIRCUIT DIAGRAM—A circuit diagram in which component
parts are represented by

simple, easily drawn symbols. May be called schematic.

SCHEMATIC SYMBOLS—A letter, abbreviation, or design used to represent

specific characteristics or

components on a schematic diagram.

SECONDARY CELL—A cell that can be recharged by passing a current

through the cell in a direction

opposite to the discharge current.

SERIES CIRCUIT—An arrangement where electrical devices are connected

so that the total current

must flow through all the devices; electrons have one path to travel from
the negative terminal to the

positive terminal.

SERIES-PARALLEL CIRCUIT—A circuit that consists of both series and

parallel networks.

SHELF LIFE—The period of time that a cell or battery may be stored and
still be useful.

SHIELDING—A metallic covering used to prevent magnetic or

electromagnetic fields from effecting an

object.

SHORT CIRCUIT—A low resistance connection between two points of

different potential in a circuit,

usually accidental and usually resulting in excessive current flow that may
cause damage.

SIEMANS—The new and preferred term for mho.

SOLID—One of the three states of matter which has definite volume and
shape. (Ice is a solid.)

SOURCE VOLTAGE—The device which furnishes the electrical energy used

by a load.

SPECIFIC GRAVITY—The ratio between the density of a substance and that

of pure water at a given

temperature.

STATIC ELECTRICITY—Stationary electricity that is in the form of a charge.

The accumulated
electric charge on an object.

SWITCH—A device to connect, disconnect, or change the connections in an

electrical circuit.

TAPPED RESISTOR—A wire-wound, fixed resistor having one or more

additional terminals along its

length, generally for voltage-divider applications.

TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT—The amount of change of resistance in a

material per unit change

in temperature.

TERMINAL—An electrical connection.

THERMOCOUPLE—A junction of two dissimilar metals that produces a

voltage when heated.

TOLERANCE—(1) The maximum error or variation from the standard

permissible in a measuring

instrument. (2) A maximum electrical or mechanical variation from

specifications which can be

tolerated without impairing the operation of a device.

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TOTAL RESISTANCE—(RT) The equivalent resistance of an entire circuit. For

a series circuit: RT = R1

+ R2 + R3 . . . Rn. For parallel circuits:

UNIDIRECTIONAL—In one direction only.

VALENCE—The measure of the extent to which an atom is able to combine

directly with other atoms. It

is believed to depend on the number and arrangement of the electrons in

the outermost shell of the

atom.

VALENCE SHELL—The electrons that form the outermost shell of an atom.

VARIABLE RESISTOR—A wire-wound or composition resistor, the value of

which may be changed.

VOLT—The unit of electromotive force or electrical pressure. One volt is

the pressure required to send 1

ampere of current through a resistance of 1 ohm.